Small Watering Hole

[Belo]

I'm in upstate NY. I have some low lying spots that stay wet till about June, and even through a dry summer they never really dry up but there's no standing water for sure. How beneficial would a plastic bin from tractor supply (100 to 300 gallons) or a plastic swimming pool be to add another feature/attractant to bowhunt over?

I don't have access to a backhoe or care to spend money/time to rent one. I could easily get these filled with utv access, but would hopefully rely on rain to keep them going. I don't have any other standing water on the 40 acres I hunt. Neighbors have a small pond surrounded by crops about 500 yards north of my property.

Wasting time/energy or worth it?

 

[bwoods11]

It’s absolutely worth a try . I’ve had decent luck with small water holes/tubs.

 

[buckdeer1]

I seem to have better luck with the tub buried in gound instead of on top of ground but am testing that right now.I use 50 gal oval.In fact I got one delivered to my door from someplace like farm king cheaper than I could drive to pick one up

 

[SD51555]

If it’s attraction you want, don’t overlook the power of dirty water.

Dig it by hand.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Belo]

If it’s attraction you want, don’t overlook the power of dirty water.

Dig it by hand.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

curious why you say that? I don't intend to have a nice clear/clean watering hole, but why dirty?

 

[SD51555]

curious why you say that? I don't intend to have a nice clear/clean watering hole, but why dirty?

There’s something about muddy water that seems to be of interest to deer. I don’t understand it, but there are countless examples out there of deer walking past clean water to drink out of an algae covered swamp or muddy puddle.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Belo]

There’s something about muddy water that seems to be of interest to deer. I don’t understand it, but there are countless examples out there of deer walking past clean water to drink out of an algae covered swamp or muddy puddle.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

sort of like my dog haha

 

[fishin coyote]

I built this one in seasonal wet/spring spot. Although I used a small tractor backhoe it could have easily been dug by hand. It’s approximately 5x8 and when dug 2 deep but now it’s about half that. This spring I’ve had a doe and her fawns in it everyday keeping it a muddy mess.
Before

Construction



After

It holds water now year round when before it was just a wet spot of dirt in late summer

 

[buckdeer1]

I have a couple that I can use without a tank but my ground is sandy enough that not all places hold water.If you dig one throw a trophy rock in or beside they really like that water

 

[Belo]

I have a couple that I can use without a tank but my ground is sandy enough that not all places hold water.If you dig one throw a trophy rock in or beside they really like that water

unfortunately I can't do that in NY. I do think it should be legal to use mineral licks in the offseason though. Hell tractor supply never seems to struggle to sell bags of corn and licks in my area...

 

[Belo]

Went ahead and killed an afternoon. Kids needed to get out of the house and it was mild and no bugs so we had fun. I'm out $90 for the one stock tank and time will tell how this goes.

 

[TreeDaddy]

There’s something about muddy water that seems to be of interest to deer. I don’t understand it, but there are countless examples out there of deer walking past clean water to drink out of an algae covered swamp or muddy puddle.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

my experience as well

Perhaps the mineral content?

bill

 

[gwm]

I have put in multiple waterholes on my property. The "natural" ones are better all around in my experience but the 110 gallon stock tanks are well worth the time and effort.

On the other hand, my dogs will tell you its their swimming pool.

 

[Belo]

I have put in multiple waterholes on my property. The "natural" ones are better all around in my experience but the 110 gallon stock tanks are well worth the time and effort.

On the other hand, my dogs will tell you its their swimming pool.

View attachment 65865

The very next day we went over to move some cams so I can watch the holes and my dog immediately submerged in both. Thanks bud. haha.

 

[b116757]

At my place I have a lot of water available to the deer so adding a tank would likely be of limited value in an area where it’s a bit of a distance to any other water source I’d bet adding a water tank would be beneficial.

 

[KY wild]

I have running creek go through my property so I did not think I needed water. After owning the property several years I had a dozer rented with left over hours so I put in two water holes. I could not believe how much the deer used these water holes. Just a thought, but maybe it is not the muddy water as much as the quiet water.

 

[Belo]

So far the deer don't seem overly interested in my small holes, but the coons love them haha